Truth and Perception
by damonkeygirl
Summary: After an incident on a alien planet Rush and Scott are put to a test of mind and wills to survive.
1. Chapter 1

One of those other stories that popped into my fron that I mentioned of in QofL.

Two chapters. One this week. One next. Already finished.

I own nothing.

Enjoy!

**Truth and Perception**

He could smell the grass. It was so vivid, so real, we just want to lay there forever. Laying on it, feeling it, believing it. The rational part of his brain was yelling at him to move his sorry ass before someone did it for him.

It wasn't that he was feeling lazy, or that he was injured. He felt, strangely at peace, lying there on the grass. It was like a soft bed, way more comfortably than the beds on Destiny.

However, the other part of his rational brain was yelling at him that he wasn't even on Destiny. Destiny was in orbit above the planet. It was yesterday, it was today, it will be tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and even still the day after that, and many days after that day.

It was always there. Some days he wanted the ship to just go away. So they could watch him. So they couldn't see him. Then they couldn't expect anything from him.

Or from his current partner in crime, who was lying some twenty feet away, having some internal debate like himself, smelling the grass, and enjoying the scenery and the stars.

Oh the stars on this part of the galaxy were wonderful, much more so than those seen from Earth. He would know, he'd spent the last day or two just watching them. It was always nighttime. It made the planet prettier.

Rolling onto his front side Lieutenant Scott propped himself up on his knees, and then shakily stood up. He managed about five feet before falling flat on his face again.

But he wasn't about to be but off by that, and stood up again, this time making it all the way to a nearby tree before nearly crashing into it.

He felt hung over, and moreso. He didn't think he'd had any of Inman's hooch, but he probably wouldn't even remember drinking it if had.

His momentary adrenaline fading fast Scott started sinking towards the ground again. It looked so inviting, so comfortable, much more comfortable than that of the Destiny beds.

He landed on his back and facing the stars. They were so pretty. Scott fell asleep mesmerized in their beauty.

His hand was clenching and unclenching uncontrollably for something, but for the life of him, he couldn't think of what. He felt as if he might be reaching for something, or someone.

But that couldn't be it. No, it just couldn't possibly be it. As much as his brain wanted to believe there was nothing for him to grab, he couldn't stop the motion.

Also, as much as he wanted to, any other form of motion seemed completely impossible at the moment. Which really was a shame considering the wet grass poking at his back.

The blades of the green stuff felt as sharp as nails, and he determined them to be nothing less. It was an alien planet on the other side of the universe, little could surprise him.

Hours later, after just lying there, catatonic, which the exception of his hand, he mustered up enough energy to tilt his head to the left. And just as he executed there was nothing there. No sign of the good-for-nothing Lieutenant, what more could he have expected from the military?

Sighing, he looked back up towards the sky, three celestial bodies taking up most it, one sun, and what he surmised to be a planet and its moon, drifted by slowly.

Rush had no idea what to do. It was an unusual feeling being cut off from one's self. He could see through his eyes, on the rare moment make a twitch of two, put he felt as if he were on autopilot, and a fair assumption that probably was.

It was a dreamlike sensation really. Semi-lucid control, rational and irrational thought plagued him, the illogical, suddenly made sense and he felt strangely rested, and achingly tired at the same moment.

However, the thought that this could be a dream, immediately turn his assumptions of his currently situation away from that it being a dream. It wasn't simply possible. He knew it had to be real.

Wearily the next "morning" Scott forced himself to his feet. It wasn't easy, but once he was up he was stable, somewhat. Slowly he worked his way over to the body lying on the ground some 150 yards away. He didn't even know who or what it was, but it was important. He knew that.

Half way there his foot snagged on a root twisting across the forested ground, and he crashed to the ground. His hands flailed out in front of him trailing to catch himself, failing miserably, and he scored a deep gash on his left on in the process.

But Scott carried on as if he hadn't even noticed, like he didn't even care, as if the cut wasn't even there. He tried to regain his footing but couldn't achieve much more than a crawl and decided to stick with it.

Eventually he made it over to the body he had seen. As he stared into the face of the man he tried to determine just who it could be. He seemed so familiar but so distant at the same time, he just couldn't place the recognition.

He put out his hand onto the man's shoulder and shook him. "Hey, hey. Hey buddy, you need to wake up." He continued to get no response. "Come on!" He shook the man harder. "Why won't you wake up?!" He hit the man's shoulder in exasperation.

Scott backed away and stared at the man who lay before him. He had longish unkempt brown hair, a scraggly beard, was scrawnier than heck, and was wearing a pair of glasses.

Even with the closer inspection Scott hadn't a clue who he was.

Rush awoke moments later to a bright sky in his face. Squinting as his eyes watered he twitched to tips of his fingers. _Fine motor control._ Taking a breath he shakily tried raising his hand. It worked. The limb wavered uneasily in midair, but it was there, under his control.

Trying again, he used the hand to push himself off the ground. A glance to his right yielded a result. A man dressed in black lay there pondering the ground in front of him closely, lying on his front. It was either that or he was dead.

Curious, Rush inched closer reaching out a rand for the other man's neck. It made contact and the man jerked away rapidly, afraid.

"Wha-" The man stammered. His eyes flashed all over the place before coming to rest on Rush. "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" Rush turned, eyeing the man. "Do I know you?"

The man in black continued eyeing him warily. "Maybe."

"You don't know?"

"No."

A silent minute passed between the two men. Then another, and another. Ages later the man in black broke it. "Scott." He said simply, putting his hand out.

"Nicholas." Rush supplied, returning the gesture.

"So, any idea where we are?"

"Not Destiny." Rush answered softly to himself, not intending to be overheard.

"D-Destiny?" Scott stuttered. Rush stared. "I know a Destiny."

"Do you now?"

"Yeah, yeah, I think I was on it. It was ship right? That's what your talking about right?"

Rush nodded simply. "You were on Destiny?"

"I think so."

"So why don't I remember you?"

"Can you remember anything?"

"No, not really." Rush shook his head.

"I-" Scott began; he was cut off by a loud shrieking coming from a tree across a lake. A few seconds later a rather large bird-like creature swooped down from the treetop, coming straight at them. "Run!" Scott ordered.

The both of them struggled to get up, and then to remain on their feet. Scott was the more successful of the two managing to stay on his feet for longer than a minute at a time.

Rush was starting to fall behind, the bird quickly gaining ground on him. He fell down again right as the bird was aimed for his head. His instability on his feet had saved him. Glancing upward he noticed Scott extending a hand.

"Come on! It's coming back." Now angry, the bird was moving much, much faster towards them, not intent on giving up it's prey.

Scott's eyes quickly found an opportunity in the tree line and he was intent on taking it. Half dragging the slower man behind him they made a break for the are Scott was so intent on.

At the precipice they passed through a narrow chamber, much to small for the bird to access. The humidity and darkness were increasing the farther they walked through cavern. "Do you have any other brilliant ideas?" rush asked scornfully.

"Hey! At least were not bird food right now!"

"Yeah, and what happens when we don't find another way out of here?"

"They'll be a way. There has to be."

Interior Destiny Corridor

Lieutenant Tamara Johansen was sprinting all out through hall after hall, racing for the gate room. "Out of my way!" She yelled at the throng of people she was approaching. One of them didn't move fast enough and she shoved him to the side as she ran through not once break stride.

A minute or two later she arrived in the gate room and was met with the "dire situation" she had been informed of on the radio. On the ground Nicholas Rush and Matthew Scott both lay unresponsive, unmoving, and little short of dead.


	2. Chapter 2

"What happened?" TJ demanded as she hurried down in-between the two men, her hand immediately reaching for a pulse on Scott. Finding one, albeit weak, she switched over to Rush and came up with a similar result.

"No one knows." Eli supplied. "We split up, I was with James. We got back to the gate and found them like this."

"That's it?"

Eli shrugged.

"Well who did they get there?"

"How am I supposed to know? One minute were exploring an alien planet, same old same old, we're about to leave and we find this!" He gestured furiously, obviously frustrated.

"Right," TJ nodded solemnly. "Sorry." She added, trying to remove some of the blame from the young man's shoulders. "Give me a hand." She asked of the soldiers in the room.

One of them had gone and retrieved makeshift stretchers from the infirmary and they made quick work of getting the two men out of the gate room.

The path narrowed even more than it already was for about five feet before widening into a large chamber. The room was a bubble of rock. Off in a corner was a small pool of water, appearing crystal clear.

Scott moved towards it first.

"Don't." Rush spoke out.

"Why not?"

"It could be contaminated."

"Or, it might not be, and we're blowing one of our only chances at survival."

Rush shrugged dropping the argument. He was moving to investigate some cave drawings on the wall when he head began to throb intensely. Dropping to his knees he grabbed at his hair. His eyes were watering and he couldn't see a thing.

Seconds later he passed out.

Scott turned from the water just in time to see Rush grab at his head in anguish. After he landed on his knees he disappeared.

In shock, Scott lost his fragile balance on the water's edge and tumbled in the depths.

His first instinct was to swim back up as fast as he could for air but he soon discovered such an act was not necessary as he was back to where he first woke up. Staring at the grass.

Rush groggily tried to sit up, his hand clenching at something as his did.

He searched the area and noticed Lieutenant Scott laying face down in the grass to his left. "The view'd be much more enjoyable if you weren't face first into the ground Lieutenant."

Groaning Scott sat up. "I'll be sure to remember that next time Rush." He glanced around. "Where are we?"

Rush shrugged.

A long period of silence followed, both men sitting avoiding eye contact. A loud shrieking was heard. Scott snapped up instantly, looking behind him. "Run!"

Colonel Young walked into the infirmary and his gaze passed over the two unconscious figures on the beds. He addressed TJ. "Any change?"

"I gave them both an antibiotic for the fever, it's gone now, but beyond that . . ." She trailed off, shrugging her shoulders.

Rush and Scott were running as fast as they could away form the pterodactyl creature on their tail when they hit a dead end, the crack in the stone was only big enough for someone the size of a small child to hit through, not an adult. The backtracked and the creature gained ground while they did since it was not limited to following the cliff, but rather flying across the large gaps of land.

As they we running, Rush was having trouble with the terrain, which was riddle with rocks, and roots springing up everywhere. It was inevitably really that eventually he would trip. And he did, he tripped, fell, and rolled right over the cliff's edge.

Scott acted in a flash as it happened his hand snagging Rush's wrist as he sprawled himself out flat on the cliff's surface. From his angle he couldn't see the pterodactyl, but he could still hear it.

Rush however had it in full view. "Go!" He yelled, seeing it approach.

"Climb!" Scott yelled back, trying to pull him up without a ton of success.

Rush was cradling his left arm to his chest, blood trailing from the hole where bone was poking through. "I can't, just go!"

"Climb!" Scott yelled again, pulling harder. He had Rush's shoulders on the plateau now.

Rush swung on of his legs up and over, and rolled onto the cliff's surface.

Both had momentarily forgotten the giant bird as they took a breather. The creature swooped down over them extremely close as it passed by, and kept flying.

They both watched it fly away, appalled that it just left it at that, before turning to each other, relief apparent in their eyes.

Scott stood up and offered Rush a hand.

He took it.

As he did, his head started pounding painfully again. Scott's as well, and both collapsed.

"Matt, Matt can you hear me?" A beautiful blond was leaning over him. He smiled at her.

"Hi TJ." He croaked out. TJ breathed a sigh of relief. "What's going on?" Matt asked, struggling to sit up.

A hand on his chest stopped him. "It's okay, I'll explain later. Try to get some rest okay."

Scott nodded and laid his head back down on the pillow, catching a glance of Rush on the next bed over, asleep.

A soft whispered voice penetrated his awareness as he cracked his eyes open. "Dr. Rush?"

"Lieutenant Johansen. What's-"

"I'll explain later. Go back to sleep."

Rush was forced back down on the pillow; his head turning and he caught a glance of Scott on the next bed over, asleep.

Shaking his head to himself he chided his imagination and told himself it had to have been just a dream.

**END**


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